Ketsueki: X
by dogone-senpai
Summary: Two decades has passed since Ketsueki Kuraiya was last seen in this world. Now he reveals himself once more as a cold killer. To take out the Hidden Dark Nation, how far will he go? What must be sacrificed to rid the world of this unspeakable evil? This is a sequel to Past of Extinction.
1. Chapter I - Stone Cold Killer

**Chapter I - Stone Cold Killer**

A sound of metal clanging against the wooden floor could be heard if you listened closely. Then, the noise steadily increased in volume over a short period of time. The area itself was dark; only a few dimmed lights would flicker on and off at random, bearing the only light provided for the long hallway. Within this darkness, several men, dressed in black traditional samurai kimonos, lurked around the area. Their swords resting on ropes tied on their sides, the flickering light gleamed off of the shining blades.

These men didn't hear the metallic noise that was nearing them. It was somewhat ironic. Having little visibility meant that your other senses, especially hearing, are heightened. The noise grew closer. And closer. A few seconds later, it stopped. A few silent moments passed. One of the samurai walked around the corner on the east wing of the hallway, on his normal route, until a sharp slicing noise, followed by the samurai's own cry, reverberated in the area, creating a loud echo for the rest of the samurai to hear. By the time the other samurai ran to see the dead man's motionless body on the cold, wooden floor, they too would be sliced in the chest by an unknown blade, each of them falling onto their stomachs. They were all dead. The life in their eyes vanished as fast as the cloaked figure leaving the bloody sight.

The cloaked figure was swift, agile, faster than the samurai could even fathom. When one fell dead, another would too. His blade made effortless, fatal swings. Coating the wooden walls with their blood. That demonic blade wanted more blood. More _sacrifices. _The unknown man was so caught up in his slaughter than he barely realised that he was being pursued. He turned his head to the left to see five samurai sprinting besides him, swords drawn. It was the same for his right side.

He would leap forward while spinning rapidly, extending his sword in the process. Creating visible, green winds that slashed the men with brutal force. They were all sent back, crashing into the floor. The cloaked man, as sinister as he was, didn't even turn around to see if he was still being followed. There was no need to, anyway. The poison killed them all as soon as it touched them.

The silent killer stopped sprinting as he reached the end of the hallway. Still clutching his sword in his right hand, he shook it a little bit. The blood flung in all directions, covering the lights throughout the hall. Instead of a faint, white glow, the lights were now crimson red. A slight smile could be seen from the killer, as he had lowered his face mask, which was also covered in blood. He wouldn't bother cleaning himself off. There was too much work to do, far too much work.

He performed a single hand seal with his left hand, placing it on the wall. It was cold, like metal, even though it was wood. Perhaps he was feeling his own soul. He closed his eyes, sensing multiple sources of chakra ahead. Multiple sacrifices to eliminate. He'd suppress his own chakra, which kept him undetectable, just in case the samurai had sensory shinobi with them. He knew it didn't matter anyway. None of them could land a hit on him.

After he was sure that the samurai were, unknowingly, coming in his direction, he applied pressure to the wall, channeling pulverising waves of vibrations from his palm and fingertips. The wall exploded, sending splinters in all directions. The cloaked man stood there as the samurai drew their weapons.

"Who the hell-?!" one of them started. Fury was in his eyes. The cloaked killer noticed this flare in the young samurai's eyes, but it wasn't fury he saw. It was weakness. All of the samurai roared and charged at the man, but it was pointless. In a single instant, he would be behind all of them. One swift swing of his sword was made. Now they laid on the floor, life absent from their eyes.

The shadow-like murderer disappeared as the lights flickered off in unison. Darkness encompassed the area once more. Only a fool would assume his job was done. More samurai fell under his demonic sword. After one hallway was cleared, the next one was done away with as well. A half hour passed. The cloaked male had just killed the last samurai standing on this floor. He sighed with boredom, as if murdering hundreds of men was too tedious. Too monotonous. Lucky for him, he was finally going to get a real fight.

He widened his eyes before ducking, noticing a large blade just barely missing his neck. He couldn't predict what his assailant's next move was. He didn't even see him yet. Without warning, he was harshly kicked in the chest, sprawling backwards with a loud thud. He quickly bounded to the left. Once again, the sword barely missed him. It sliced off the top of his cloak, revealing his upper body. He gritted his teeth, jumping back while glaring in front of him.

A youthful male with spiky, white hair stood before him, one hand on his hip as his large sword was propped up on his shoulder. The male smirked. He wasn't wearing a samurai kimono, just a white poncho with torn, baggy, white pants.

"Well, look who it is.. I never expected to see you here, in the Dark Village... Ketsueki Kuraiya!" he said softly, his smirk widening.

The once cloaked killer also had a youthful face. His hair was crimson red, neck-lengthed, and covered his left eye. His sharp, violet-coloured pupil focused on the white-haired male. The man known as Ketsueki Kuraiya slowly stood up with no words. His grip on his demonic sword, Tsumi no Ken, tightened, as of with rage. With hatred. He knew who his opponent was: Gyatsō Mataba, the leader of the Hidden Dark Nation. The possessor of the godly Mūgetsu Shaolin dojutsu.

Gyatsō's pupils were crimson red, with two black lines intersecting over each other to form a cross. This was the Shaolin, the kekkei genkai of the extinct Taisega clan. It seems as if Gyatsō wouldn't activate the Mūgetsu until he needed to. Ketsueki noted this and rose Tsumi no Ken, pointing the blade at Gyatsō. Green mists formed around the tip of the blade.

"To ensure peace.. I will.. kill you.. Gyatsō Mataba...!" Ketsueki yelled. He rushed forward with a loud roar, his eyes burning with killing intent. His mission was simple. _Eliminate _Gyatsō.

_**X**_


	2. Chapter II - Crimson Red

**Chapter II - Crimson Red**

The red-haired man named Ketsueki charged at Gyatsō Mataba, the young man leading the Hidden Dark Nation. Now Ketsueki was right in front of Gyatsō. The Kuraiya clan member brought his right hand up, attempting to slash Gyatsō in the throat with Tsumi no Ken, the demonic sword that craved blood. He wanted to wipe Gyatsō from the face of the planet, and quickly. Gyatsō would counter by side-stepping to the right. He was even faster than Ketsueki.

"Peace is subjective, you fool!" Gyatsō shouted at his opponent, delivering a heavy knee to Ketsueki's stomach. Ketsueki exhaled in pain as the oxygen throughout his body was forced out, causing him to slightly slump over Gyatsō's knee in a wheezing mess. Gyatsō would then raise his knee to strike Ketsueki in the chin, forcing the male to stand back up. The white-haired man glared at Ketsueki as if with disgust.

Ketsueki, holding his stomach with his left hand, growled angrily as Tsumi no Ken's blade glowed an eerie green. He took a step forward, thrusting the blade in a linear path towards Gyatsō's chest.

_Kaze no Chikara!_

Ketsueki's speed increased tenfold as he made slash after slash. The swings of his sword were so fast that afterimages appeared as soon as he began his attack. Gyatsō wasn't prepared for this. Even though he managed to dodge the first strikes, his speed paled in comparison. He was overwhelmed. Ketsueki let out another roar as he manipulated the structure of his blade, making its cuts deeper. The blade, sharper. Acuikinesis was the name of this manipulation.

After more than two hundred swings of his sword, Ketsueki stopped his movement abruptly. He was panting now. Sweat glistened from his forehead as he watched his opponent fall to his knees. Gyatsō's eyes were bloodshot. Blood covered his entire body. After a stare down of the two, Gyatsō's eyes closed before falling on his face.

"The only thing that.. is subjective, Gyatsō.. is strength," Ketsueki said whilst panting, sliding Tsumi no Ken back into its sheathe. It was done. The Hidden Dark Nation would internally crumble without their leader. And with the amount of resistance forces allied with Ketsueki, it would only be a matter of time before an invasion would be launched on the Hidden Dark Village. This war was over.

"And it looks like.. the difference in our strength.. _wasn't_ subjective."

Ketsueki spat on Gyatsō's body. He hated him down to his very roots. Even when they first met twenty years ago, Ketsueki sensed a great evil within Gyatsō Mataba. It was only Ketsueki's duty to put Gyatsō down.

Letting out a soft sigh, Ketsueki turned around and began to walk back down the hall. He had a struggle due to his injuries, but he paid no mind to it. The only thing he was thinking about was, oddly enough, Gyatsō. Even though he was dead. He should've been more worried about himself since he could barely walk. All of a sudden, out of impulse, Ketsueki turned around with wide eyes.

At that exact moment, Gyatsō brought his arm across Ketsueki's neck. His arm was covered in materialised, dark chakra, acting just as if it was a sword. How did Gyatsō feign death?

"You're right, the difference in our strength isn't subjective..."

Gyatsō whispered out, curving his arm to cut deeper into the redhead's neck. Ketsueki couldn't move his body, a heavy amount of blood was pouring out of his severe wound, rendering him paralyzed. Gyatsō emotionlessly looked into Ketsueki's bloodshot eyes before forcibly tearing more into his flesh. He then flung his body down the hallway, leaving the wooden floor coated in the Kuraiya member's crimson red blood.

"Because it's a_ fac_t that I'm stronger than you, Ketsueki!"

Gyatsō would chuckle lightly before breaking out into a maniacal laugh that echoed through the hall. His left Shaolin remained in its ordinary, secondary stage, but his right Shaolin was different. The iris, instead of being red, was red-orange, and four lines intersected over each other instead of just two. This was the Mūgetsu Shaolin. There was no wonder why Gyatsō escaped death so easily, there are a plethora of jutsu the Mūgetsu granted that Ketsueki couldn't even begin to understand.

Speaking of Ketsueki, the Breaking Slasher was laying against the wall in the back of the hallway, a puddle of blood underneath him and growing larger by the second. His hair covered his both of his eyes and his breathing was hindering.

_Red..._

Ketsueki slowly rose his left hand as he continued to mentally call out the demon sealed within his very soul. His teeth would form into fangs over time, and for some reason, his hair got thinner. Longer. Revealing crimson red pupils and black sclera. His eyes were very similar to the "dead puppets" the forbidden Reanimation jutsu created. Cold, soulless eyes.

_Red... Red... Red..!_

The spontaneously transforming man wobbled as he stood up. The large wound on his neck healed on its own as his hair got even longer. Gyatsō stared at Ketsueki with a confused, yet, interested expression on his face. His Mūgetsu blared with anticipation. Ketsueki's chakra felt demonic. Even more demonic than the Tailed Beasts. Perhaps he could put up a good fight against Gyatsō, he thought.

Ketsueki stared at his risen hand as horns formed atop his head. His hands eventually grew black and the bones inside popped out of his skin. His body was getting thinner as well. His ribs were even showing.

He hasn't allowed Red the Deity to take control of his body, rather his mind, ever since he was in the New Akatsuki decades ago. A ninja had insulted the Kuraiya clan right to Ketsueki's face, which angered him enough to succumb to Red. The same feeling he had at that time was now coursing through his veins. Ketsueki closed his eyes as memories of that time filled his head.

. . . .

"Now that that's out of the way, it's your turn to die," said Ketsueki, looking at the target. Ketsueki's hair was shorter, and he wore an unzipped Akatsuki cloak. On his right ring finger was a ring that read "Nighttime". He had just killed the rest of the target's squad in one move. The shinobi quickly performed hand seals, gritting his teeth. Ketsueki noticed what chakra nature his jutsu would yield and scoffed with disgust.

'Water ninjutsu, eh? Useless,' thought Ketsueki.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" The shinobi yelled. A large mass of water in the form of a dragon formed in front of him and dashed towards Ketsueki. The redhead yawned before a dome of blood surrounded him. He was using Reddokarīngu, the kekkei genkai of the Kuraiya clan, to manipulate his very blood.

The Water Dragon smashed into the dome with devastating impact. However, Ketsueki wasn't phased in the slightest. The shinobi began to sweat, realising how strong Ketsueki was. Water droplets fell from the sky.

"What the hell?! It's gotta be some kekkei genkai of some sort... Damn these clans!" The shinobi gasped out. The dome of blood surrounding Ketsueki slowly dissipated, revealing Ketsueki with a serious glare. His Sharingan, which were given as a gift from the New Akatsuki leader, Shin Uchiha, radiated with burning anger.

"You dare mock the name of the Kuraiya clan?" he questioned softly. The shinobi stepped back a little, out of fear, but he continued to speak.

"You heard me, you bastard! Your clan is useless without that technique!" He shot back. Ketsueki noticed a tone of fear within that insult. He smirked widely as his eye sclera suddenly turned black. Red's seal has come undone.

_I suppose Red can dispose of this pest!_

Ketsueki's hair grew thinner and longer as he crouched to the floor, staring at the Kirigakure shinobi. His body underwent the same transformation; thinner body, black hands, horns protruding out of his head. The Kiri shinobi looked on with horror as he failed to fathom just what Ketsueki was.

Ketsueki laughed insanely, which would cause the ground to rumble a bit. He then dashed towards the trembling shinobi with frightening speed. Ketsueki's laughter grew louder as he got closer. The water droplets continued to fall from the sky.

"You seem awfully scared for someone who just spat in the Kuraiya's face a second ago!" he yelled as he neared him with increased speed.

"Die, you worthless piece of Kiri SHIT!"

He jabbed his hand in the man's chest, pushing it until it just outside of his heart. Ketsueki's smirk widened as his own blood entered the wound. His blood was black now, meaning his Reddokarīngu was now Reddokarīngu: Black, a reinforced version of the kekkei genkai. Since Ketsueki was the only Kuraiya with Red sealed inside him, he was the only one who possessed this form of Reddokarīngu. He was special and he knew it.

The dark blood bubbled rapidly before expanding and imploding in the shinobi's chest. The shinobi's entire upper body was crushed. His chest literally burst open, blood and torn organs spewing in all directions. What remained of his corpse fluttered onto the ground, now painted red with blood. The water droplets ceased falling.

Ketsueki licked the blood off of his lips before turning around, walking away from the sight. Blood would replace the water droplets. The red liquid trickled from the moonlit sky.

"Mission complete."

_. . . ._

Ketsueki's eyes slowly opened once more. Just like that time long ago, he crouched, hands on his knees. His hair danced in the gentle wind generated by Ketsueki's body. Although he didn't have the Sharingan anymore, he could see Gyatsō's chakra clearly. It was dark, it was black, just like that bastard's soul.

"I.. will.."

Ketsueki started, watching Gyatsō. The white-haired Mūgetsu wielder quickly gripped his large sword again, propping it on his shoulder. His other hand rested on his hip as if he dared Ketsueki to come at him.

"KILL.. YOU!"

And Ketsueki _di_d come at him. With a ferocious roar that caused the wall behind him to implode, Ketsueki charged down the hall.

With every step he took, the wooden floor smashed underneath him. Gyatsō's Mūgetsu Shaolin blared once more before he also ran towards Ketsueki.

"Come try, Kuraiya!"

"Shut your damn mouth, you son of a bitch!"

_**X**_


End file.
